Pat McKeough

A professional investment analyst for more than 30 years, Pat has developed a stock-selection technique that has proven reliable in both bull and bear markets. His proprietary ValuVesting System™ focuses on stocks that provide exceptional quality at relatively low prices. Many savvy investors and industry leaders consider it the most powerful stock-picking method ever created.

As early as 1980, Pat was recognized as #1 in the world of published investment advice by the Washington, DC–based Newsletter Publishers Association, and he was the first multi-year winner of The Globe and Mail’s stock picking contest.

Both CBS MarketWatch and The Hulbert Financial Digest recognized Pat as one of North America’s top stock analysts. The Wall Street Journal called him “one of only four investment newsletter advisors who have managed to serve their readers well over the long haul.”

A best-selling Canadian author, he wrote Riding the Bull, his 1993 book that predicted the stock-market boom of the last half of that decade. Through his many television appearances, he is well-known to investors for his insightful analysis and his candid, unpretentious style.

Bottom line: Pat’s conservative, reduced-risk strategy is a proven approach to safe investing.

NORDSTROM INC. $52 (New York symbol JWN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 173.5 million; Market cap: $9.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; Dividend yield: 2.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.nordstrom.com) owns and operates 323 stores in the U.S. and Canada that mainly sell upscale clothing and footwear. Due to investments in its online business and the opening of new stores in Canada, Nordstrom’s earnings in its 2016 fiscal year, which ended January 30, 2016, fell 15.3%, to $3.15 a share from $3.72 in 2015. Sales rose 6.9%, to $14.4 billion from $13.5 billion, while same-store sales gained 2.7%. Online sales jumped 20.2%, and accounted for 19.6% of its total sales. Nordstrom is still a buy.
RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC. $33(New York symbol QSR; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 467.6 million; Market cap: $15.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; Dividend yield: 1.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.rbi.com) operates 4,413 Tim Hortons coffee and donut locations and 15,003 Burger King outlets in 100 countries. If you set aside restructuring costs and other unusual items, Restaurant Brands earned $561.1 million, or $1.18 a share, in 2015. That’s up 20.0% from $467.6 million, or $0.98, in 2014. Sales fell 3.5%, to $4.05 billion from $4.20 billion. If you exclude the impact of the U.S. dollar on Restaurant Brands’overseas operations, sales gained 9.2%....
ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND CO. $34 (New York symbol ADM; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 593.9 million; Market cap: $20.2 billion; Priceto- sales ratio: 0.3; Dividend yield: 3.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.adm.com) processes corn, wheat, soybeans, canola, flax seed, peanuts and other crops into a variety of food ingredients, such as flour, oils and sweeteners. The company has agreed to pay an undisclosed sum for a controlling stake in Iowa-based Harvest Innovations. This private firm makes soy proteins and oils for gluten-free pastas and other foods. Harvest’s expertise will help Archer Daniels profit as increasingly health-conscious consumers eat products made with organic and non-genetically modified ingredients. Archer Daniels Midland is a buy.
GENUINE PARTS CO. $91 (New York symbol GPC; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 150.8 million; Market cap: $13.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield: 2.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.genpt.com) gets 52% of its sales and 57% of its earnings by selling replacement auto parts: Genuine operates 1,100 outlets under the NAPA banner, and its distribution business serves 4,900 independent stores in North America, Australia and New Zealand. The company also sells industrial parts (30% of sales, 27% of earnings), office products (13%, 11%) and electrical equipment (5%, 5%). In 2015, Genuine’s overall sales fell 0.4%, to $15.28 billion from $15.34 billion in 2014. Leaving out currency exchange rates, sales rose 2.5%, due to acquisitions (up 1%) and higher growth at its existing businesses (up 1.5%)....
SNAP-ON INC. $146(New York symbol SNA; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 58.1 million; Market cap: $8.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.3; Dividend yield: 1.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.snapon.com) makes tools for auto mechanics and sells them through a fleet of franchised vans that visit garages. It also makes specialized tools for industrial customers. In 2015, Snap-On’s revenue gained 2.3%, to $3.4 billion from $3.3 billion in 2014. Excluding exchange rates and acquisitions, sales gained 7.1%. Earnings per share rose 13.4%, to $8.10 from $7.14. The company continues to benefit as carmakers add new features to their vehicles such as automatic parking and braking systems. That has forced repair shops to invest in new tools and upgrade their diagnostic equipment. Most of these clients borrow the funds they need to buy new tools and equipment, which has increased earnings at Snap-On’s financing division....
BAXTER INTERNATIONAL INC. $39(New York symbol BAX; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 547.0 million; Market cap: $21.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.1; Dividend yield: 1.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.baxter.com) earned $755 million, or $1.38 a share, in 2015 before unusual items. That’s up 7.5% from $702 million, or $1.28, in 2014. Revenue fell 7.0%, to $10.0 billion from $10.7 billion. However, without the negative impact of currency exchange rates, revenue gained 3%. The company continues to spend about 6% of its revenue on research. That has let it launch several successful new products, including its Sigma Spectrum pump for injecting drugs and fluids into a hospital patient. New products like this should lift Baxter’s revenue in 2016 by 3% to 4%. In addition, cost cuts will help push up earnings to $1.50 a share. The stock trades at 26.0 times that estimate. That’s an acceptable multiple, considering Baxter’s strong reputation and its high research costs. The $0.46 dividend yields 1.2%....
BAXALTA INC. $39(New York symbol BXLT; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 679.3 million; Market cap: $26.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.3; Dividend yield: 0.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.baxalta.com) plans to merge with Ireland-based Shire (Nasdaq symbol SHPG), which makes drugs for rare and life-threatening diseases. Taken together, the companies are developing new treatments that should boost their combined annual revenue from $14 billion in 2015 to $20 billion by 2020. Plus the new firm will save $500 million a year by eliminating overlapping operations. Also, the merged company will be based in Ireland, so its income tax rate will be 16% to 17%— compared to the 23% Baxalta currently pays. Under the proposal, Baxalta investors would receive $18.00 a share in cash and 0.1482 of a Shire American depositary receipt (ADR) for each share they hold, giving them 34% of the combined company. Based on current prices, Shire’s offer is worth $41.78 per Baxalta share....
C.R. BARD INC. $194(New York symbol BCR; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 73.7 million; Market cap: $14.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.2; Dividend yield: 0.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.crbard.com) has acquired Liberator Medical Holdings for $181 million. This firm distributes a variety of medical products such as urological catheters and diabetic supplies, directly to consumers’homes. Under the deal, Bard plans to expand the availability of its own medical devices. That should add $70 million to its annual sales of $3.4 billion, and $0.05 to $0.10 a share to its annual earnings in 2017; Bard will probably earn $9.97 a share in 2016. The stock trades at a reasonable 19.5 times that forecast. C.R. Bard is a buy.
FAIR ISAAC CORP. $96(New York symbol FICO; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 31.4 million; Market cap: $3.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.5; Dividend yield: 0.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.fico.com) is best known for its FICO Scores computer program, which helps lenders make better decisions about customer creditworthiness. It also makes software that helps credit card issuers control fraud and analyze cardholders’spending patterns. The company is now applying its banking expertise to other areas of cybersecurity. It recently won a patent for a system that monitors corporate networks for suspicious activity or online attacks. It received another patent for a similar program that helps power, gas and water utilities detect unusual consumption patterns. However, the stock trades at a high 29.4 times the $3.26 a share that Fair Isaac will probably earn in its 2016 fiscal year, which ends September 30, 2016....